50 Days of Action Against Poverty and Inequality

Download 50 Days of Action Press Release

As ministers and agency heads from around the world, gather in Ghana for the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, Every Human Has Rights partner The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) held a press conference in Accra, announcing the beginning of their '50 Days of Action Against Poverty and Inequality'.

“There is a period of unique opportunity in the 50 days ahead when people can show they won’t accept the suffering of human poverty any longer. There are ways for every man, woman and child in the world to take action, however small and local, so that leaders fulfil the Millennium Development Goals, adhere to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and stretch their efforts to narrow the staggering inequality that exists in our world today,” according to GCAP Co-Chair Adelaide Sosseh.

Millions of people in over 120 countries will mobilize against poverty and inequality over the next 50 days, culminating in the annual 'Stand Up' action from October 17-19, 2008. In 2007 43.7 million people Stood Up to create a new world record in one day.

Some of the notable dates around which the 50 Days of Action Against Poverty and Inequality are:

2-4 September Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, Accra, Ghana
25 September UN High level conference on MDGs (alongside UN General Assembly)
7 October World Day for Decent Work
13-19 October Global Week of Action on Debt
11-13 October Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF
15 October Rural Women’s Day
16 October World Food Day
17 October International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
17-19 October Stand Up and Take Action against Poverty and Inequality
19 October Micah Sunday
All October Freedom From Poverty, Every Human Has Rights Campaign

GCAP is calling for actions ranging from concerts to seminars to football matches to rallies and also encourages participants to take action online by signing the Every Human Has Rights pledge.

GCAP is the world’s largest civil society alliance of social movements, International NGOs, trade unions, community groups, women’s organizations, faith and youth groups, local associations and campaigners; the alliance will take the lead on Every Human Has Rights' theme Freedom from Want / Freedom from Poverty throughout October.